1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molten metal feed apparatus of a die casting machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In die casting machines, the molten metal is fed to a sleeve, then the molten metal is injected by a plunger into the cavity of a pair of dies for casting. As the molten metal feed apparatus for feeding the molten metal into the sleeve, for example, one using a ladle is known. In this molten metal feed apparatus, molten metal in the melting furnace is scooped up by a ladle, the ladle is conveyed to the sleeve by a conveyor system, then the ladle is tilted about a predetermined rotary shaft to pour the molten metal into the sleeve.
In a molten metal feed apparatus using a ladle, however, the rotary shaft is arranged at the position of the front end of the pouring spout of the ladle and the rotary shaft is driven by a chain so as to make the ladle tilt. Therefore, the front end of the pouring spout of the ladle is held at a substantially constant position for pouring the molten metal. If the position of the front end of the pouring spout of the ladle with respect to the sleeve is substantially constant, the drop position of the molten metal with respect to the sleeve becomes substantially constant and the molten metal drops in a restricted narrow area of the sleeve. If the molten metal drops in a restricted area of the sleeve, that area will become locally heated and easily damaged. This local heating becomes a cause of shortening the lifetime of the sleeve.